Collide
by Whimsical Amethyst
Summary: Majorelle Blue is a young and aspiring bounty huntress and holder of the Toro Toro no Mi sightseeing at Dawn Island. Suddenly, an unfortunate event happens when a pick-pocket steals her money and sends her on the run for her money, literally! On the way, she makes an unexpected partnership with a Marine named Nezuel. Where will this journey take them? Read and find out. :
1. Chapter 1: Collide

This short story takes place in the world of One Piece with two "new" Characters. Our main character and protagonist of the story, Majorelle Blue, is a young and aspiring bounty huntress. She has short blue hair and wears a black backless, high-collared halter top, intersecting belts over her chest; a lurex skirt opened at the front to reveal black shorts, armored boots, and arm bell-shaped arm gauntlets. The girl is surprisingly good with a gun blade and has the Toro Toro no Mi. And wouldn't you know it, it's Aqua from Kingdom Hearts! Without the magic and the keyblade, that is. Our second protagonist, Tasuma D. Nezuel is a tall and skinny yet surprisingly well-toned Marine with white-highlighted black hair and dark-red eyes, and he wears the standard One Piece Marine attire. The story fluctuates between both of their points of view. I hope you enjoy this story and please don't forget to review!

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Majorelle purposefully made her way towards Dawn Island's town square. The blue haired Bounty Hunting lass had been in the capital city plenty of times, more specifically whenever she had to collect a bounty. The one thing she didn't really like about the city was the number of Marines that roamed around. It was inevitable, but sometimes Marines prevented Bounty Hunters from doing their respectable jobs of catching Pirates and turning them in. It was how they made their living. And if they didn't have Pirates to catch because the Marines were all over them, Bounty Hunters made no money. It's not as if she didn't like the Marines themselves. She respected them and knew that they, too, had a job to do. The Marines should not only be respected, but feared. Although she didn't always liked the way that they did things, they kept the peace in the world and deserved admiration for it. Majorelle also loved sightseeing and loved the fact that every time she went to Goa, there was always something new to be noticed by the small town girl.

In the shadows, a pickpocket had placed his eyes upon Majorelle's purse, which hung from her belt. It had definitely not been the best day for a pickpocket living on the back streets of Goa. He was filthy and hungry and he had even lost his trusty knife! He had noticed that Majorelle was too busy sightseeing and knew that it was as good of a chance as any. But his luck just so happen to turn for the worse, for it was bad luck enough that Majorelle had managed to see him reach for her purse. Moving as promptly as possible, he decided to snatch the purse anyway and made a run for it, running down the road. _**"Hey!" **_Majorelle gasped in astonishment. She didn't think he'd have the nerve to steal from her after she had let him know she was well aware of his presence. She was caught off guard and he was too fast, so he had managed to gain quite a bit of ground on her before she finally took off after him. **"Stop, **_**thief!"**_

The blue haired girl was surprised at the scrawny pickpocket's speed, but she was already gaining on him. Looking back, the thief noticed this and panicked. He saw a farmer's wagon filled with apples up ahead, and it was on the crest of the hill, too. He smiled with renewed hope and then jumped on the wagon, using his momentum to push it forward a bit, just enough to make it roll down the hill. Majorelle noticed this and picked up her speed. This man was so desperate that he was willing to steal a farmer's wagon to get away? She wanted more than anything for nobody to get hurt, and for that, she needed to stop him right away! Where were the Marines when you needed them?

Majorelle managed to catch up to the wagon before it gained full speed and was too fast for her to catch. Majorelle lunged at the thief, but he was still too fast for her! He jumped out of the wagon and into a small crowd of people that broke his fall. He would still be getting quite a few bruises from a jump like that. But that was Majorelle's least worry. Her eyes bulged as she realized that she was on a run-away-wagon headed straight for disaster! It rolled down the hill at high speed until one of the wagon's wheels caught a rock, sending her and the majority of the apples through the air…. and into a group of Marines, causing a loud crash.

The Goa kingdom was located on Dawn Island, a rather small island that was still in an age period where nobles ruled by divine right. A system where there were the few nobles that lived plentiful lives and few middle class citizens that lived normal lives. The majority of the populace would be outside the walls of the capital city in a place called Grey terminal. Not even considered a part of the town it was made out of metal scraps and thrown away junk. The citizens living there often made it their life's work to find at least one useful thing within the multitude of piles in grey terminal. To make a long story short, he didn't like the place.

So what was he doing here? Well he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. While marines often chose their missions sometimes they didn't get a say on them and this was one of those times. An esteemed agent of the world government had wanted to go to the Goa Kingdom, most likely to look around and mock the citizens, as he was doing now. He had been assigned along with three other marines to escort the agent around the town and make sure nothing would happen to him. He didn't know the three other marines but it seemed like they were just as annoyed by the agent as he was and should anything actually happened he wondered if they would do anything to help him...they probably would, if they wanted a promotion.

They were walking around the town center watching the agent look at the buildings with a scowl. On the way to the town he had mentions the smell Grey Terminal gave off and perhaps he could smell it. All he could smell at the moment was the agent's cheap cologne, he seemed to have spilled the entire bottle on himself accidentally or perhaps simply like his own smell. Everything was fine when suddenly something hit him in the head. He looked down to find that it was an apple. He looked around and noticed a strange site; a girl in the air surrounded by multiple apples, headed straight for the agent. Out of his peripheral vision he saw that the three marines with him also saw the site and, like he, weren't moving to save the agent. After a second or tow the girl and the apples landed on the agent sending him to the ground.

Majorelle hit something hard and everything went black. When she was under, familiar visions came into play. The same reoccurring dream she was used to after so many years. It was Majorelle and she was with her family and friends, all gathered around a birthday cake. It was her thirteenth birthday, and everyone she knew was there to celebrate. The next thing she knew, she couldn't blow out the candles, and the flames went out of control, consuming everyone and everything except for Majorelle. Pirates came into view, but she could never see their faces. She could only ever hear their throaty laughter as they stared at her with empty faces.

Only a few seconds had passed when she finally came to, pushing herself up with her hands. Her vision flashed white and black and pain coursed her entire body. Luckily, nothing was broken. However, the loud, booming voice that she heard was not helping with her headache whatsoever. She smelled him before she saw him, and only her curiosity forced her to look up. It was a rather important looking man dressed in his best. His face was red with rage and he was pointing at her, as well as the marines he was surrounded by. She noticed that his clothes had been torn, possibly from the wagon having landed on him. There were apples scattered everywhere. Not far away, the owner of the wagon was staring at the scene despairingly, but he hid so as to not face the important man's anger. "**My apples..."**

Immediately, Majorelle came to her hands and knees as she bowed like any soldier would bow to his King. The girl was well aware that the man was no King, however, he was ranked high enough that she knew to show respect, and right now, she was practically begging for her life. Men have been known to die for less under the hands of an agent. Even if she explained herself, Majorelle doubted he would hardly care. She bowed her head.

**"Forgive me, sir! I was chasing a thief who stole my purse and was trying to escape with a wagon.. I tried to stop him but he managed to get away and... this happened... I take full responsibility. Please accept my humble apology."**

Apparently the girl had been knocked unconscious by the landing. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the agent who was now shouting at the top of his lungs in his normal annoying voice. 'Get this…. peasant off of me!" He hissed, basically screaming the word peasant. As usual it didn't look like the other marines would do anything to help the agent which left him to do everything. He gently grabbed the girl's limp body and laid it gently on the ground after checking to make sure she wasn't bleeding or in any serious condition. After making sure she was ok he helped the agent up. he started to see if he was injured but the agent shooed him away and instead started yelling at him to arrest the girl for assaulting an agent of the world government.

He heard movement behind him and turned seeing that the girl was now on her hands and knees bowing to the agent. He quickly stepped to the left side of the agent as to not get in the way of any conversation he might have with the girl. He seemed to listen to the girl's story but at the end of it his face was still red and he could see a vein popping out on the top of his head. The agent straitened himself out "Well then," he said making sure his hair was in place, "since the assault was not your fault I suppose I could be lenient and not kill you." He paused and looked down at the girl with what he considered was him most compassionate face. "Instead I'll have you pay for the damages, including my clothes, and spend 5-10 in the local jail." He started laugh.

"Sir, if I may." Nezuel said, causing the agent's laughing to stop. He looked at the girl for a second knowing that the crime was not her fault and any decent person would let her off with a simple warning or fee. It also wasn't her fault the man she had run into was a complete jerk. 'If she was mugged by a thief, perhaps it is better to have her work to catch the thief. This way we get a criminal off the streets and she'll be better able to pay for the...damages." The agent didn't look like he liked the idea and was about to open his big fat mouth when one of the other marines did a fake cough. He looked at the three marines and then back at Nezuel. He could see the wheels in his head turning. Even if he was dumb he wasn't dumb enough to walk around a town with a couple of marines that hated his guts, "Fine, but in order to ensure that she actually does the job justice, you go with her, marine...whatever-your-name-is."

Major could practically feel his anger the tension was so high. It caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand. It was not that she couldn't hold her own against him, but she had never actually done so. Major preferred to stay on the good side of the law rather than the bad. She had put several bad men in prison herself. That is why when the agent had mentioned putting her in prison; she felt her heart skip a beat. It was a good thing her head was bowed for if it hadn't been, he would have seen her eyes nearly fly out of their sockets; the things that would be done to her in prison..._especially_as a woman. Everything inside of her screamed to just make a run for it. It would be much better to be an outlaw than to be imprisoned to be tortured for her petty crime.

Major was about to make her decision when one of the Marines spoke out for the agent to take a different course of action that would be beneficial for everyone. She couldn't help herself when her head lifted up to look at the man. He stood stall and held himself with poise and his eyes were very mysterious... all in all, he was very handsome. All she could do was to give him a questioning look. The man had no real reason to interfere. She narrowed her eyes then looked away as the agent told the Marine to go with her. Perhaps he was actually a decent Marine, unlike most that she has had the unlucky opportunity to meet herself. His idea wasn't a bad one. She _did_ need to get her money back; otherwise she would be in a bit of a pickle considering that was pretty much all she had. Then again, paying for the damages is most likely going to empty that purse completely. Major bowed her head in thanks. But she knew that she owed him more than that. **"Thank you, sir..."**

Thankfully the agent saw reason for a change and decided to let the girl go. Fortunately he also saw fit to assign him the mission of making sure she committed to find the thief, should he or she actually exist. Why was it fortunate that he had to go with the girl? _Why?_because it meant that he no longer had to sit downwind from that agent smelling his cheap cologne and listening to his annoying voice. If he found the thief it would actually help the community unlike the agent. The agent left without another word, apparently not interested in his name. He doubted he even remembered who he was much less the girl. But that was a good thing, if he couldn't remember the girl she wouldn't have to pay for the damages. She may actually come out of this encounter scot-free...besides being almost sent to jail.

He looked at the girl now, her head still bowed but this time apparently to him. He wondered if this was because she felt indebted to him or because she simply hadn't gotten over that she had about to go to jail. He noticed what appeared to be a weapon on her. From the design it appeared to be a blade but there was something else about it. Whoever she was she wasn't defenseless, something he would have to take note on. He walked towards the girl stopping while towering over her. "You bow your head too easily," he said, his voice calm and collected. He then offered her his hand to help her get off the ground. "But that is not that is not necessarily a bad thing."

Majorelle knew that the rest of them, including the agent, had walked away, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She looked up when the Marine spoke at her, blushing at his comment but decided to take his hand anyway as he helped her up. Her head was still pounding and her body ached quite a bit, but she forced herself to ignore all of that. **"Perhaps you're right... but I would rather avoid a fight than to start one, if it can be helped."** She said. _Even towards men like him,_she added on as an afterthought in her mind. Majorelle had always preferred humility over aggression, especially when it could be avoided. It wasn't always a good thing to be that way, especially when it came down to her profession. Trying to _talk_Pirates into simply coming with her was not a very successful tactic.

Now that she was standing next to the Marine, she could get a better look at him... if he wasn't so tall. He was ridiculously tall, more than a foot taller than her, and she was by no means a short woman. His build was not strong; in fact, he was rather skinny, but still definitely looked like he could hold his own in a fight, that much was for sure. When she looked into his eyes, she felt a pang of hesitation. Majorelle had never been one to become shy over looking into a man's eyes. She liked to look at people straight in the eye when she spoke to them and it had always been a normal and respectful custom. There was something familiar about him, yet she had never met the man in her life. Majorelle became more curious about who this stranger was and completely forgot that she was still holding his hand.

**"I can't thank you enough for that, **_**mister.**_**...?"**

The girl took his hand without much hesitation but he could have sworn he saw her blush when he talked. He helped her up and noticed that although she was trying to act like she was alright she was probably slightly injured...or sore from the fall. Now with the head off of the ground and her standing up he could inspect her. She was tall for a girl but of course not as tall as him. The most remarkable feature was her hair. The most common hair colors were dull like his, black or brown. She sported an exotic blue hue that reminded him of the ocean, something to him that was forbidden. Moving down from her hair she had a young face, most likely a year or two younger than him. Her eyes, like her hair, were blue; they were again a rare color and an exact opposite of his own red eyes. As for the rest he didn't really know much about fashion. The marines usually didn't have much variety in that subject.

He listened to the girl talk of why she had bowed her head and found that their viewpoints were were perhaps the same. There was already too much violence in the world already, he felt that he would rather not add even more to it. "I must agree with you," he said, his eyes softening. "Unfortunately my line of work does not always allow me such comforts." He found her starring into his eyes and himself starring back wondering why. Listening to her words, he realized that he had not in fact introduced himself yet on account of all the chaos that had been happening around the two of them. "Ah, my name is Tasuma D. Nezuel," he said with a slight nod of the head, "you may call me Nezuel. And what may I call you Miss...?" He would wait for her response before adding with a smile, "you may let go of my hand now...if you like."

**"Nezuel,"** she said. Majorelle thought about giving him the name that many people knew her by back home, but then decided against it. **"My name is Majorelle Blue. You may call me whatever you like." **Perhaps he had heard of her, perhaps not. She was a young Bounty Hunter and she doubted a whole lot of people knew her name yet. Someday she would be a well-known hunter and people would even respect her. But that day was not yet there. With some embarrassment, Major released her gentle grip on his hand, letting it go free, but tried to make it seem as much of a nonchalant movement as possible.


	2. Chapter 2: Lead the Way

Majorelle was glad to meet somebody that she could be at least acquainted with. Majorelle didn't allow herself many freedoms, not even the freedom of having people to call her friends. She needed to remind herself to not take everything so seriously. Unfortunately it was her past that made her become like that. She had become far too ambitious and possibly a tad bit vengeful for what happened to her village when she was small. Majorelle scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly before hugging her arms. Attempting to avoid that self-humiliating moment, she turned to a different subject to discuss. Her arms opened once again in an inviting gesture. She wanted to be as polite as possible. After all, he was still a Marine.

**"I suppose you are going to assist me in hunting down this thief, then, Nezuel?"**

Majorelle Blue was her name. It seemed to fit her quite well, defiantly the last name with her hair color. It had a certain elegance about it that rolled off the tongue a certain...je ne sais quoi. But when she introduced herself a change took place in her eyes. Although her blue eyes were the opposite color of his he recognized the emotion for what it was, ambition. With his comment about the hand she released his hand making it seem like it wasn't a big deal. Although she seemed embarrassed that she had held it for so long he was slightly disappointed that he hadn't earned another blush.

An awkward silence came between them for a few seconds as she seemed to avoid the whole hand issue. She scratched her neck and tried to look rather nonchalant and in his eyes failing. It was rather...cute. He mentally slapped himself and looked away slightly from the Majorelle. He shouldn't be thinking of such things when he had a job to do. 'Ah yes...It seems that my job _has_ shifted to helping you for the day." he paused thinking, then added with a wink, "or possibly until that man leaves Dawn Island. May I suggest moving to were you last say the man that stole your purse Majorelle?" He looked in the direction the apple cart had fallen downhill and moved his hand in the direction while looking at Majorelle, the universal sign for _"after you"_.

Nezuel suggested that they return to the area where it was taken. Majorelle gave him a disagreeable look. She did not think he would be there. Why would a thief return to the scene of the crime? It had been quite a penny she had made on her last bounty. That money would last a vagabond a significant amount of time before he ran out. She tried to recall what she could remember about the thief. His clothes were a bit tattered and he smelled pretty awful. His smell had been mainly the reason she had been able to spot him long before he took her purse. Yet it was because she did not think that he would take it that she was caught off guard as he took it. How clumsy and immature of her!

As she mentally slapped herself, she also came up with where the thief might be now. Someone like that could only live in one place; the Grey Terminal. However, she did not like the idea of venturing into such dangerous territory where more than likely were Bounty Hunters not allowed... She had once attempted to tread those hot and smelly waters not long ago, and she had found herself surrounded by men with nasty sneers on their rotten faces. Not only that, but the area was also riddled with disease. Majorelle felt sympathetic when she thought of the people that actually grew up there- Especially the small children. _What a terrible fate,_ she thought.

**"I don't think that's necessary. That thief is more than likely to be long gone from here by now. Though I have a pretty good idea as to where he might be..."**

He was about to turn and start walking up the hill when he noticed Majorelle's face and the look he was giving him. At first he wondered what he had done wrong. He had thought of going back to the last point she had seen the person who stole her money and ask the people around were he had went. Her explanation was that he had been riding the apple cart before her and most people would remember such an event and what happened to the rider. Even if they didn't want to share the information to someone like Majorelle they would hardly refuse a marine such as himself as most people feared the marines and what they could do.

Despite that they were supposed to in force law and order some marine were hated or feared by the community. It was usually one of two things. The first was that the marine was corrupt and took bribes or enjoyed inflicting harm, these being focused on power. The other kind was more rare and involved an almost fanatic devotion to justice or as the marines called it 'Absolute Justice." These people would see any minor crime dealt with death in order to stop any and all corruption. Indeed, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

He gave Majorelle a look that although neutral could be considered annoyance. "Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" he said while lowering his arm. "Lead the way," he would say before following the lady.


	3. Chapter 3: Unpleasant Memories

Majorelle hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do. She thought she knew where he might be but didn't exactly know for sure. She felt that he should be the one to lead the way, but then again, she had put herself in the situation she had been now. If only she had asked him for ideas before she had opened her mouth, then maybe she wouldn't be feeling so bad about it. Majorelle had the urge to frantically wave her hands in front of her and say:_ "Unless you have another idea, that is! I'm not completely sure about mine, it was just a thought..."_But she suppressed that urge and walked on, heading towards the outskirts of town where the Grey Terminal was located. Instead, she managed to cool her nerves enough to approach the topic in a calmly manner.

**"I think that he might be from the Grey Terminal, judging from his clothes and his stench, but we might want to ask around when we get there,"** She said, trying to sound as confident as possible. **"I hope that we don't have too much trouble with cooperation. The last time I was there, well let's just say I didn't exactly have the best time of my life, ha-ha."**

She tried to play it off as a joke. When you experience many bad things in your life, you either learn to laugh at it or grow to become bitter and hateful. Majorelle likes to think that she has accomplished not turning into such a hateful and mean person, though she does have her moments where she has been very bitter about what happened. It is what drives her forward to find her people's killers and bring them all to justice... When the moment comes, she hopes that her hate towards them does not overcome and force her to do something horrible.

She seemed to hesitate on leading and didn't move right away. Did he want him to lead? They did say that behind every man _was_a strong woman- he mentally slapped himself again. Returning to more appropriate thoughts he wondered what went on behind those blue eyes, within that head. After a second or two she seemed to get over whatever it was and move on. He walked behind her trying to keep his gaze from wandering...yep another mental slap. He didn't have a lot of experience with women but by the time they found the thief he felt like he would have mental bruising from all the slaps he would give himself. It wasn't that he was that kind of person it was just...healthy men...don't just not notice such things.

She seemed to confirm his thoughts that they were heading towards grey terminal. For some time the smell prevalent in all of Edge Town had been getting stronger and the social classes lower and lower and it hadn't too hard to guess where they were heading. Talking about what had happened at grey terminal to her he seemed to get the feeling that although she laughed it wasn't a real laugh. Looking at the blade he knew she could handle herself so perhaps whatever had happened involved fighting...she had said she didn't like to fight, didn't she?

'I doubt that anyone will attack you when a marine is with you," he said trying to reassure her, "but even with me here there probably are some crazy, or desperate enough to try to steal from you...Besides...looking at that weapon you have with you it looks like you could handle yourself if something happened." he paused changing the subject. "What happened last time you were here?" he asked then hastily added, "That is if you want to talk about it. I don't want to bring up any touchy subjects."

**"Thanks,"** She smiled at his compliment.

She remembered the first time she had used a gun. Both of her parents were in the Bounty Hunting business as well as others from her family. They were very caring, honorable, and justified people and they were loved by the villagers of their home. Her father was a swordsman while her mother was a gunslinger. She had a thing against swords yet she ended up marrying her father. It was a funny little story about two Bounty Hunters going for the same bounty and the rest was history.

Majorelle had shown interest from a very young age. She loved both guns and swords, but only practiced one at a time. By the time she was five years old she had shot her first gun, an old revolver her uncle had given her father for his birthday. It had apparently been a family heirloom and she would later take that same revolver and use it to turn it into a gun blade. Her mother was against teaching her because she wanted to protect her, but her father, however, was a very lenient man and was proud when Majorelle wanted to learn how to wield a blade and shoot a gun.

He taught her the ways of the sword, but she had to teach herself about guns until her mother decided to lighten up and teach her some years later. After her parent's death, nothing was ever the same. But it was through them that she developed her very own unique technique of fighting and forged the weapon she has now from her parent's own weapons in their memory.

All the while, Majorelle and Nezuel were entering the Grey Terminal. She had to fight not to gag at the smell, but not just that, the memory of her experience there was making her physically uneasy and ill. In addition to that, the people that lived here in such filth was such a sad and pitiful sight...

**"It was nothing, really,"** she shrugged at his question about what had happened in the Grey Terminal. **"It was three years ago. I was young and stupid enough to chase a bounty that I wasn't experienced enough to handle into that junkyard. I was way in and over my head but I was too eager to prove that I could do it."** She remembered that they had beaten her half to death after they had stripped her naked and had their way with her. It was a horrible memory that she wanted to erase from her past. "**Long story short, I was surrounded by a bunch of thugs and they beat the stupid out of me, but I managed to get away."** Majorelle shrugged again. **"Lesson learned,"** She laughed.** "What about you?"** She questioned, making an attempt to get the spotlight off of herself. **"How long have you been a Marine stationed here at Dawn Island?"**

Looking at her she seemed to be remembering something pleasant, something not at all like she had said about not ending well. As they both entered Grey Terminal he was relieved and very put off by the fact that he couldn't smell the garbage; relief that he couldn't smell it but worried because he didn't know why he couldn't smell it. Perhaps the agent's excessive amount of cologne had simply burned out all of the stuff in his head that allowed him to smell; then again, maybe he was just getting a cold. Majorelle seemed to be more affected by the smell then he. He wondered if it was just the smell or something else as the expression on her face seemed to reflect remembering something different than before.

He saw her notice the multitude of people that lived in grey terminal; people with barley rags as clothing and the smell of grey terminal forever sown into their being. He would have liked to help a few of the more innocent looking ones but knew that sometimes such appearances were simply acts to get money. Not to mention if he gave money to one person more people would come to the two of them seeking money and they would never get done with their mission. Not to mention that giving money to one person would make him a target for other thieves within grey terminal.

His suspicions were confirmed that she was more than she seemed. Bounty Hunters were people who went after the people the World Government. It was a noble occupation even if the people of the occupation weren't so noble. She re-accounted her tale of her last time in grey terminal and felt that her wariness of returning was well deserved. This was not the type of place where they simply beat up a young girl before letting her go... He wondered for a second if the bounty she was after was still active and possibly in grey terminal...he also wondered if she was the type for revenge. "Ah, well," he said glad that she had changed the subject, "I'm not actually 'stationed' on Dawn Island. Originally I'm from the town of Lougetown here in East Blue. I had the great misfortune of being assigned to escort that agent around Goa Kingdom." He let the subject drop, perhaps she would ask further questions on it...but in the meantime they would have to continue looking for the thief. He pointed towards one of the closest people to them. "Should we go ask them?"

She slowed down her pace so that the two were side by side and she looked at him when he said that he was not stationed on Dawn Island. She smiled when she heard the displeasure in his voice of being assigned to that terribly smelly agent she had encountered. In a way, they had saved each other. Nezuel saved her from imprisonment or possible death and Majorelle saved Nezuel from his troublesome duty. Even so, possible imprisonment beats a lousy job by far, and thus she felt that she still owed him in some way.

She was about to ask him if Lougetown was where he was from when he asked whether or not to ask a group of people about her thief. Her brows came together in doubt. She didn't think that was such a good idea. From past experience, she knew that Grey Terminal citizens simply did not work like normal citizens. They always wanted something from you... Majorelle pulled out her gunblade and walked up to them with the utmost confidence. Suddenly, the girl meant business. If she didn't show it, they most certainly wouldn't take her very seriously.

**"Ahoy. Avast ye!"** She called out for their attention in the most convincing pirate accent she could muster. She held herself tall and strong, so as to not give away just how truly uncomfortable she was feeling. **"Wouldn't happen t' see a scraggly man, be one o' th' fastest, most blunder-busting lubber ye ev'r laid yer eyes on?"**

She slowed down and started to walk side by side with him while he was talking. From what he saw she was obviously entertained by his talk of the agent and his recent mission. When he asked his question about the group of grey terminal citizens her eyebrows came together. He wondered if he had done something wrong again as he had done in trying to go back to where she had last seen the thief. Perhaps he was simply not accustomed to places like grey terminal and she was, she had been here before. He had grown up and lived in Lougetown. While there were occasionally big time pirates that partied on the island before going to the grand line and thieves, they were mostly taken out by the strong marine presence on the island. Lougetown didn't really have any place like Grey terminal.

She took out the blade she had been carrying and walked towards the group. He followed staying slightly behind her with his arms crossed in front of him. He could tell that he was going to see another side of Majorelle in a few seconds. But truth be told, he wasn't ready for the sudden change. While she changed physically, acting more dominant and confident her voice also changed into what could be considered the stereotypical pirate voice. Really all she needed was a crew, ship, and a blue beard by which to keep a namesake and she would be the perfect example of a pirate. He tried to keep himself from laughing over the thought of Majorelle with a blue beard and turned his attention back on the group of people she was talking to.

The pirates looked convinced at first, until one of them squint his eyes at her, as if trying to look at her clearer. Did the man have bad vision or something? But as a smile spread across his lips, she knew that something was wrong. He walked up to her, completely devoid of his previous weariness.** "Do you know who we are?"** he asked the blue haired bounty hunter. Majorelle had seen that look before. A faraway memory flashed in her mind, the familiar sneer of the man who did horrible things to her was the same man that stood in front of her now. She looked deep into his eyes and hoped th**at her face did not reveal what she felt inside; anger and pain... "Don't you recognize me, little lass? I recognize you!"** he laughed. Majorelle frowned.** "We were so close! Do you know what we do to people who irritate us? We kill them; we make their bodies explode into a thousand pieces. A huge bloody mess,"** Said the thug as he stalked towards the young woman. Majorelle noticed that the others were smiling now, as well, **"But not you- no! You were such a precious and rare little gem, I just couldn't resist myself... and neither could my friends."** He laughed and so did his big ugly followers. What horrible luck must she have had to run into the same group of bastards twice in a row? She clenched her hand around her hilt, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The memory came flooding back in along with the feeling of revulsion. A part of her wanted to crawl back into her insecure hole and run, but she was far more mature than she used to be, and perhaps a little too proud... _Perhaps it is fate,_she thought. Majorelle's eyes now clearly showed her anger and pain. She wanted to teach them respect, and part of her wanted to just attack them and make them pay for their unforgivable actions... but her better side fought against it telling her that even sinners deserved sympathy. But had they showed her sympathy? No, she had to be the better woman... yet-

**"Why don't we finish what we started,**_**ehhhh boys?**_**"** asked the main thug. Had he not said that, she might have been able to control herself. Majorelle raised her gun blade and swung it down at the monster, _**"As you wish!"**_ She hissed.

Some things can only be conveyed through battle...

Something was wrong. He knew that from the moment the man narrowed his eye something was going to happen. Then the man asked if she recognized him and his group and he put two and two together. The only time she had been in Grey terminal was when she was caught and...and this man recognized her. It meant that the man in front of them was the one who had abused her before. It was an unfortunate turnout of events. He had wondered before if Majorelle had been one for revenge. With the group that had possibly scarred her for life in front of her...it seemed like he was going to find out. To give her credit she did appear to be fighting the instinct of chopping all of them up. But anger and revenge should not be taken lightly. He knew that revenge would win, with or without the man's constant reminders of what had happened when she had last visited.

Then the final straw was taken, the floodgate released. He was in action before it happened. Before Majorelle managed the willpower to raise her sword he was already moving towards the two. He managed to get between her and the man before the sword fell and knock him down by putting his right leg behind the man's right leg and pushing him backwards. On the way down he placed his hand on the man's head and slammed him into the scrap metal floor of grey terminal. Blood oozed from his skull onto the floor, he was dead. Less than a second later he felt Majorelle's sword miss him and the now dead man. Once it had completed its arc he stood and began to take off his marine coat. "Revenge is not a road to be taken easily. Once you step down it you can never return." he said trying to talk some sense into the girl. He paused and said one final thing before running into battle, "I suggest you forgive them for what they have done to you, for I will not"

Beads of moisture escaped her eyes as she noticed her blade caught nothing but air. She was now shaking uncontrollably with her swirling maelstrom of emotions. Major saw what Nezuel had done, and she didn't know whether to be angry or surprised. In the end, the surprise won, specifically because of what he had said, and she just stared at him with her mouth half open. But there was no time for her to respond to him or for an exchange or a smart ass comment or anything of the sort. If they did have time, she might have slapped him for interfering, despite the fact that she knew that she was simply being blinded by her boiling emotions. The other thugs were furious at what Nezuel had done, and were now attacking the two.

Majorelle reacted and lifted her gun blade just as she pulled the trigger of the revolver, shooting one of the thugs directly in the face. She had been aiming for his chest, and she had missed what she had been targeting because her hands were still a bit clammy. But it didn't matter much. Now that she was a bit calm, she could feel the sting of actually killing someone. Still, she never really did like killing anyone, even if it had been out of self-defense. Now Majorelle could only imagine what it would have felt like to calm down after slaughtering all of the thugs. Another one of them was about to punch her with brute like strength but she swung her blade around and sliced off his hand before stabbing him in the stomach and pulling it back out, spilling his guts on the floor. The smell of blood mixed with the stench of the Gray Terminal created an appalling odor...

He would have loved to see Majorelle's face after he had ran off. He imagined surprise or anger. He wanted to look but couldn't as he would need to focus on fighting, he would have to be content with imagining for now. Truly he did not regret what he had done. She could hate him for the rest of her life for all he cared, although she seemed more like the type to slap a guy and then yell at them while blushing...what were those called_? Tsundere?__  
_  
He ran up on his first opponent, a man about the same size as Majorelle. He ran up to him with a sword between his hands and his feet shoulder with the part. His stance was horrible, his knees weren't bending and it looked like he could fall over at any moment. He had two options, break his knees with a swift side or front thrust kick or knock him over with a roundhouse to the head. He chose the former. He waited for the man to do a poor attempt at a swing before moving in and hitting him with a side kick to his knee. He could hear and feel the bone snap and his bone gave way and he moved to the floor. From there he wrapped his hand around the man's neck and snapped his neck.

It was then that he heard gunshots coming from Majorelle's direction. He turned to see that she was not actively part of the battle. She seemed to have calmed down which was good. While he had been against her murdering the man while in blood lust he wasn't against calm and collected fighting, self-defense. The two were completely different. If she had killed the man it would have been wrong, full of anger. Now it wouldn't mean as much as it would have if she had cut him down then. He turned towards his enemies, no longer worried about Majorelle. Within seconds two more of the thugs were dead on the ground.

Majorelle struck down two more before they were all taken care of and were surrounded by severely injured or dead thugs on the littered ground. Their bodies would soon be covered by the filth of the junk-yard and they would be forever forgotten. She couldn't help but think if any of them had any families. Some people did horrible things just to help their families get by, and it sure must be a hard life in the Grey Terminal. Were any of them fathers or husbands with children or wives? Either way, they were now or soon would be gone. Perhaps they will be found and buried by their own people.

She thought about how angry and vengeful she had been, and how it would have deeply affected her if she had murdered them in cold blood. When she was last here, they weren't going to let her go. By some miracle, she had managed to get away. She might have used that excuse had she sought out her vengeance. But now she would have no choice but to move on. What had happened to her was unfortunate and cruel, but it was in the past now and it was best to leave it at that and to let herself heal.

Majorelle looked at Nezuel from the dead men and gave him a grateful glance.

**"Thank you for doing what you did,"** she said, giving him a warm smile.

In less than a minute, the entire group of thugs was on the ground, either dead or dying. Looking around, he saw his handiwork; the broken skulls and knees as well as the large dents in people's bodies. While looking around he also saw Majorelle's handiwork, bullet wounds, cut off limbs, and oozing slashed skin. It was then that the actual idea that she was a Bounty Hunter sunk into his head. She was deadly maybe even more so than him. If his little stunt at stopping her from killing the man in cold blood hadn't sat with her well and she decided to fight he wasn't sure he would live. He sighed thinking that the old saying, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." was defiantly true.

He turned around and saw that Majorelle was looking at the first thug's dead body to him. Was she still thinking about what had just happened? _Would she be mad?_ He had said he could live with her hating him for the rest of her life but he was still relieved when the glare she gave him was not one of hate but gratitude. The smile she gave him was warm and he couldn't help return it with a small smile of his own. 'You shouldn't thank me," he said but not in a harsh tone, "I was simply doing what I wished to do...But regardless you are welcome." he paused before adding, "I'll take any punishment you have in mind now, if you like."

**"Punishment?"** she asked, confused by his choice of words. But then she remembered that she was about to do something to him for stopping her.** "OH. I am not going to punish you. You were right to stop me, Nezuel. Thanks to you, I am a better person."** Majorelle would do good to learn from the situation. There was a saying that her father was once very fond of; _He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves: one for his enemy and one for himself._ Her family did not believe in vengeance. They believed in Justice. Majorelle was beginning to question her reasons for going after the pirates who murdered her people. What they had done was evil and they should be brought to justice, but is that what she really thought?

Suddenly, Majorelle remembered the thief and her money. She put her gun blade away and turned towards Nezuel.

**"We should probably forget about that thief. This place is crawling with lawbreakers; do you really think they'll talk to a Bounty Hunter **_**and**_** a Marine? And anyway, I think I've had enough**_**'fun'**_**for one day... "**

Despite not really caring whether she would punish him or not he did let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. Then she seemed to get the same look in her eye as she had before when he had asked about the last time she had been in grey terminal. Whatever it was, it again seemed to have nothing to do with the current matter at hand. Was it something to do with her past and revenge? He didn't know but the expression soon passed from her eyes. Majorelle then put her weapon away and talked to him. He looked at the bodies of the thugs and then back at her. He had hoped that perhaps the thief had been in the group but if she said they should give up it meant that he wasn't there and that they hadn't' found him yet.

He turned back Majorelle with a playful smile on his face, "You want to give up? Don't tell me you've grown bored of me already? And here I thought we were getting along so well..." He said in a somewhat playful manner, which was rare for him, perhaps he had gotten to know Majorelle more than he thought over their time together and over almost getting killed. "Besides," he said with his voice back to its usual tone. "The thief has your money and the agent expects someone to rot in a jail cell. If I could help it...I'd rather it not be you. You seem like a good person."

While talking he walked over and inspected on of the thugs who were on the ground. He had been slashed by Majorelle's sword but the wound hadn't been deep and he would survive for some time but be in excruciating pain. To kill the man now would be a mercy, but was it one he deserved? He bent down and asked the man, "Your base, _where is it?"_ the man, either too scared to resist or knowing that he was already dead gave him the answer he wanted. Nezuel closed the man's eyes and put him out of his misery. "If you still don't want to find the thief then you can go back to Edge Town, I'm seeing this think through."

Majorelle paused for a moment as Nezuel spoke about seeing this through. He interrogated a dying man and was surprised to see that he did not struggle or waver in giving Nezuel the answer to his question; where was their base? Majorelle didn't know why he was asking for their base. It could very well be that the thief had nothing to do with these thugs that they had just brought down. Perhaps he was just a random junker simply trying to get by. He put the man out of his misery, although undeserving of it, and said that he was seeing what they started to the end.

In the end, he managed to inspire her. She had felt drained, mostly emotionally, after facing that one horrible memory of hers, and wanted to call it a day. But then again, if she didn't get back her beli, she would have nothing! She'd have no way of getting back home, and she would have to rely on other people to help her get by until she managed to get another bounty for more beli. Majorelle had no intention of hurting the man, or anyone else. But she really did want her money back.

**"I don't think so,"** she said, giving him a challenging grin. **"I started this and I am going to finish it."**


	4. Chapter 4: Gang House

In the end his plan had worked. Although it would have perhaps been easier to finish the job alone and that he often preferred to work alone he found that the girl, Majorelle Blue, had grown on him. He didn't truly want to go to the thug's base alone or find the thief alone, he wanted her with him. Shaking thoughts from his head he returned her smile with a small one of his own. Looking into her blue eyes he could see renewed determination and purpose. Hopefully he wouldn't have to worry about her losing her focus anymore.

He pointed towards what was probably the largest pile of scrap metal in the entirety of grey terminal. It was so large that it would be able to house even a giant. It was the perfect place for a band of thugs to call home...and the perfect place for a trap. "That is our destination. According to its size it probably housed the largest gang of thugs in grey terminal. If your thief doesn't live there then they'll know where to find him." He started to walk towards the large pile of metal at a slow pace to allow Majorelle to catch up to his long strides.

Soon the two were at the pile. It appeared to be hollow in the middle as after closer inspection he could see smoke rising from the top of it. Looking around he found what appeared to be a door made of the same scrap metal that the base was made of. It wasn't that well hidden for a thug base and he wondered how they had managed to stay in business all this time with marines on the island. Did the marines simply not care or was someone in the marines being paid off? Whatever the reason, they weren't going to exist for long. Looking at Majorelle for confirmation he reached for the handle and opened the door.

Looking at Nezuel smile with such a mysterious face never seized to have a strange affection on Majorelle. She took it that he didn't smile much and appreciated that she could make him smile. She was glad that they were growing so close due to the mission that they were on together. Majorelle hadn't any good friends in good places in a while that weren't outside the Bounty Hunting circle. She couldn't help but think about what a nice and self-less man he was for helping her with catching her thief. Then again, it's not like she had much of a choice considering he was _ordered_to do so.

Majorelle followed Nezuel to a giant pile of scrap metal. At first it appeared to be nothing but junk, until she noticed smoke rising out of the top of it and a door. She looked at Nezuel, or the back of his head, when he mentioned it housed the biggest group of gangs in the Grey Terminal. Was he kidding? Sure, she wasn't afraid of them, but wasn't there a better way of looking for their little thief without having to deal with thugs? There were bound to be plenty of people around that knew the man. It was said that the people who lived here were very close. Majorelle was beginning to think that Nezuel was a danger junkie.

But she followed him anyway as they pressed forward, Majorelle having to jog as silently as she could in order to keep up with him. Nezuel looked at her and she nodded at him, and then, he opened the door...

His hand touched the door. It wasn't as cold as he thought it'd be which meant it had been used recently; it also meant that from the moment they entered the base the two would have to be on guard. He opened the door and silently closed it when Majorelle was also inside. From there he started to slowly walk down the small corridor that was in front of them. Looking around he noticed just what kind of a place the base was. Although it still stood it was a model of disarray and looked like it could fall at any moment. Small planks of wood covered the corridor similar to the way mines were build. He could see strings of rope holding the planks together and could smell dried glue as well. It wouldn't take much to bring the place down; if he went full out he could probably do so in a punch or two.

But there was Majorelle to consider. If he brought the house down what would happen to her? Would she be buried beneath the rubble and die or would she be able to get out...perhaps if she stood close enough to him if or when he transformed he could protect her… _if_ was the smallest big word in their vocabulary. Although he had to admit that the blue haired girl had grown on him he wondered if she had done so enough that he would reveal to her his full power. The only time he had used its full power was the first time he had used it...the first time he had eaten the fruit. He had even only trained his powers in places where no one was around, secluded forests and wastelands. No one knew about his fruit, not the marines, not even the world government. Was he ready to change that? Would she be scared of his Devil Fruit and reject him?

While in thought the two had managed to come to the end of the corridor. In front of them was another door, similar to the one they had entered the base from. He entered it and stepped through. Looking around he could see that the inside of the base truly was hollow...and larger than he had thought. Up through the whole thing they had balconies and what appeared to be rooms built into the piles of scrap metal. He started to look closer but was blinded when some two spotlights suddenly centered on him and Majorelle blinding them. Up above near the spotlights he could see a shadowy figure accompanied with several others. Over the base the rooms he had seen before were opening, revealing men with rifles and pistols.

"Well, well, well," said the man near the searchlights. "What have we here?" he seemed to focus on Majorelle. "Oh, I remember you! You were the girl I stole from this morning. You come for this?" he held up a bag which must have been the one they had been searching for. Finding his resolve he figured that the only way out of the situation would be to use his full power. He moved to take off his marine coat when he felt the cold touch of metal on his neck, a pistol. He could try to transform but he would get a bullet in his head before finishing...Looking out of his peripheral vision he could see there was another gunner for Majorelle.. Sighing he put his hand up in surrender. "Lock them up."


	5. Chapter 5: Prison Break

Majorelle and Nezuel entered the premises together. They went down a corridor, and all the while, Majorelle couldn't stop thinking about how sloppy and smelly the place was. The walls were held back by planks of wood, and the only thing holding it was blue and rope. The whole place could go down on them at any time, or so it seemed, _especially_ if a fight broke out. Then they would all be buried. Majorelle could get away, though. All she had to do was turn into liquid… but what about Nezuel? He would be crushed! And there would be no way for her to save him. Major shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. Now was not the time to be worrying about things like that.

There was another thing that was suddenly bothering her. The place seemed a bit too empty and silent. Where was everyone? Wasn't this supposed to be filled with all kinds of crime related activity? So then, where in the world was everyone? It all seemed like a big trap to her. She was about to say something to Nezuel when suddenly there was a spotlight on the two and people popped out of places she couldn't even imagine. Guns were on them in one second and in the end, all they could do was put their hands in the air. She caught eyes with the man who stole her purse. Was this all a ruse? A part of some grand scheme they had? What did they want with a Bounty Hunter and a Marine, anyway? It didn't make sense. It seemed that the thief was their leader because he ordered them to be locked up.

The first thing they did was take their weapons. They were lead rather roughly through several corridors and she noticed that the land was sloped downwards. Soon, the walls were nothing but compressed dirt and she knew that they were taking them someplace underground. **"Nez-"** A gun was jammed into her back. **"No talking!"** The deeper they went, the more she had the urge to vomit because the stench became more and more unbearable. All of the air was trapped and there was no fresh air going inside, no circulation at all, and it was terrible. Majorelle became dizzy and felt sick to her stomach and there were several times where she gagged. Soon they were locked in separate cells underground. The doors were like ordinary jail cells that could be found anywhere: Thick, hard wood and metal. And the cells were like little caves with no place to go. Finally alone, Majorelle let out what she was holding and threw up on the ground._ This place is terrible,_ she thought. _But at least I have a way out..._

Majorelle simply did what she would normally do in that kind of a situation. She waited several moments before her entire body transformed into a liquid state and she slipped out through the cracks of the door. She solidified once outside of the cell while keeping her arms liquefied, and she caught the guard by surprise. _**Aqua Jet!**_ Majorelle sent a strong jet of water from her arms and into the guard's face, water getting into his mouth and down his lungs, drowning him. Luckily, he was the only thug stationed there and she didn't have to fight any more. But there were bound to be plenty more as they fought their way to the surface. She took the keys from around his waist and opened Nezuel's door...

**"No time to explain,"** she said. **"We need to get out of here! But first, I need my gun blade back..."**

The truth was, she was too nervous to tell him what had just happened. She would rather just take the time to tell him later.

Soon after the boss man's final word they took their weapons which only amounted to Majorelle's blade as he fought only with his hands. They then led the pair through several corridors that they hadn't seen before. Judging by the Slope of the floor and the change in the configuration of the wall from scrap metal to dirt they were somewhere underground. He wondered just how large the underground was. Did it stretch underneath all of grey terminal? Did they have tunnels to get from place to place? They were perhaps more organized and dangerous than he thought. Further thought on the matter were cut off when Majorelle said his name...or at least the first half of his name before being silenced by the guard, he would have to remember that.

As they descended he saw Majorelle gagged a couple of times. Once again he was lucky that he couldn't smell anything since hanging around that government agent. He put his hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her; the guard had said no talking...or anything about touching. He could tell that the stale air was affecting both of them; he himself was feeling a little bit light headed from the lack of fresh air. The guard however wasn't being affected by it. Had he adapted? Regardless, the sooner they got out of there the better. Most likely that would involve him turning fully for a little while to break whatever bindings the thugs gave the two of them, but afterwards, he wouldn't be able to use the ability for a while. They took the two of them and put them in separate cages. The cages, although somewhat made of metal, would probably fall to his full power...if he could transform far enough to gain enough power and not have the ceiling collapse on them.

He thought it best to wait a while and calm down so he started to meditate in the cell, hopefully Majorelle wouldn't worry herself too about being captured. Suddenly he heard his door being opened. Were they moving them already? They had just gotten there. But when the door opened there stood Majorelle free from her cage. He got himself free and walked outside. He looked at the guard first; there were no signs of fighting, no wounds. How had she killed him? Then he noticed her cell door, it was still closed. How had she gotten out? She had said there was no time to explain...explain what? Was she hiding something from him? Not that he was mad as he had his own secrets to keep...was this what being on the receiving end felt like?

He nodded to Majorelle and looking around the room for anything that could hold her gun blade. Near the end of the holding area was a small table, a chair, an oil lamp, and a chest. He remembered having such chests at marine bases for the confiscated goods of a prisoner. He grabbed a key that was on the table and tried it on the chest. IT opened with a click and he searched around inside until he found her gun blade. He searched around for anything else but found nothing...then he handed the weapon back to its owner.

Immediately after she said it, Nezuel took action. He found a set of keys and a chest. When she observed him, it seemed to her that he knew his way around a good old fashioned prison very well. Of course, she had to already know that! He was a Marine, after all. For a moment there, she had almost forgotten that fact.

Being with Nezuel was almost like being with a Bounty Hunting brother. She took her weapon back and held it in her hand, ready to use at any moment. She looked at him and was about to thank him for that when suddenly a guard opened the main door. He was halfway in the room when he saw the dead guard and the escaping "prisoners". Majorelle rushed to him, ready to take him out before he could make a sound, but he was already screaming for back up! Only a split second later had Majorelle cut him down.

The blue haired blue eyed girl gave Nezuel a nervous look before she heard the sound of rumbling footsteps up the hall. How many thugs did there have to be to shake the foundation of a place? Plus, she also heard their guttural screaming, like they were a bunch of blood thirsty good-for-nothings.

Majorelle took the gun blade back and held it in her hands. Although, as a martial artist he didn't exactly have a weapon he could understand the comfort of getting back something that you often used. Once she received the weapon she quickly put her hands back on it ready for use, she was a girl of action all right. Suddenly a new sound entered the room. It was the sound of a very old and much worn down door opening. He knew were Majorelle and he was and the guard was dead which meant it was someone else entering the room. He turned and saw another thug entering the room, probably the replacement for the one Majorelle had somehow killed. Speaking of Majorelle she wasted no time in putting her re-acquired weapon to use. Unfortunately the guard had managed to raise the alarm before being cut down by the bounty hunter girl.

He hoped that there was no other thugs nearby but his hopes were soon swept aside when multiple footsteps were heard echoing down the hallway. He returned Majorelle's look and immediately rushed into action. He quickly ran up to the door where Majorelle and the dead guard were. He picked up the thug's body out of the doorway and closed the door. Taking the keys he had found earlier he locked the door. Being made of scrap metal and wood the door wouldn't hold for long against any strong physical attack but at least it would buy them some time.

He looked around the room. Unlike the thugs they had fought outside in Grey Terminal the ones in here most likely had guns or other weapons. in such confined spaces as the hallways they would be able to easily pick him off, as he had no gun, before moving in on Majorelle. They would have to use some strategy. Moving back into the room his attention was caught by the lit oil lamp on the table and an idea formed in his head. Looking back at the guard that had just been cut down he noticed that he also had an oil lamp; it has since fallen to the ground when he had died. He grabbed the oil lamp and looked at Majorelle. "When they break through that door, I'm going to throw this. Think you can shoot it and set them on fire?" He wouldn't get much time for an answer as the door burst open just then. He threw the lamp and hoped Majorelle was ready

Majorelle tried to think of a way to fight those men without bringing down the place on top of them, but she couldn't exactly think of anything. But then, Nezuel thought of something. She watched him reach for the oil lamp and ask her to shoot them so that they can catch fire as he threw them at the thugs. She hesitated for a moment. Something like that could set the entire place on fire- or perhaps only the prison. But if they were quick enough, they would be able to escape... the two of them together were very skilled individuals. With her _Toro Toro no Mi_, she and Nezuel could avoid getting burned by her dousing the fire if it came too close. Otherwise the entire place would burn and crumble into ashes.

Majorelle nodded that yes, she could shoot it and make it catch fire. It would also more than likely explode. It could kill the closest ones to the fire but otherwise simply stun the rest. The thugs were already trying to get the door open, and each time they flung their bodies at the door, the more the hinges came loose. It was one final try before they broke through the door and the door flew into the room. Majorelle gave the signal for Nezuel to let the oil lamps fly. She lifted her gunblade and shot the oil lamps. The glass broke and it caused the oil in the lamp to catch fire.

The men that went through the door were burned and Majorelle took Nezuel's hand and together they leaped over the men and the fire. As she ran through the corridor towards the surface, there were other men that she simply passed and ignored. They looked at her stunned but then as they saw the rushing fire behind them, he screamed and headed the opposite direction. Suddenly, the entire place was actively focusing on trying to stop the fire from spreading. If they didn't, the prison might burn down completely, and it could possibly create a sink hole where everyone would be buried inside. And if the fire kept, raging, they would be burned alive.


	6. Chapter 6: Confession

Nezuel threw the oil lamp and Majorelle shot it with her gun blade. Instantly, the small flame inside of the glass burst into a larger one as glass and flame engulfed the men that had just come into the prison. Majorelle took his hand and together they jumped through the flames before they fully engulfed the door. To be honest when she grabbed his hand his heart had done a little flip. He had never really been very successful with the opposite gender, was this the first time a girl was holding his hand? No, she had held his hand earlier but this was perhaps a bit different. You never forget the first of anything and if he managed to make it out of grey terminal alive he would never be able to forget Majorelle. Just like earlier she seemed to forget she was holding his hand (or simply didn't care...?) and practically dragged him along through the corridor back towards the surface.

He could understand why she wanted to get away from the prison so badly. The fire would destroy the prison but wouldn't spread to the rest of the base. The compressed dirt of the prison wouldn't be near as combustible as the scrap metal the base was made of but the wooden beams holding the prison and base together might just go. But the fire wouldn't spread far and even if it did grow its growth was suppressed by the lack of fresh air and by the tunnel's eventual collapse one the supports were gone. Once the tunnel collapsed the small amount of fire there was still spreading would be taken care of by the thugs that he and Majorelle had been passing for the last few moments.

Once they were clear of what seemed like the bulk of the thugs he stopped letting himself be pulled by Majorelle and instead pulled her towards an empty hallway. He let go of her hand and looked around, sighing. "It looks like we'll have at least a few moments to ourselves." he said looking at the blue haired girl. "Are you going to give me the explanation now or when this is all over?" He was referring to, of course, the line she had said when she had freed him from his cell. Also how she had killed the guard without any signs of struggle or wounds.

Majorelle was glad they were getting away from the Prison. It smelled so horrible that one could barely breathe if they were not used to the conditions. The woman had nearly fainted and was feeling completely sick. Now that they were at least not underground, she felt a little better now that the air was not completely stuffed up and wretched. She wondered just how many people were taken down there to rot and die. What a terrible fate to have, yet not as terrible as being imprisoned in the Impel Down. As far as she knew, no one tortured you here. Well, now the prison was burning down. There would be no more imprisoning of anyone down there until they rebuilt it. It was a fact that made her feel slightly happy.

Nezuel pulled the two of them into an empty hallway and she took that moment to catch her breath. Nezuel took that moment to ask Majorelle about what had happened earlier. How had she managed to escape her own cell? How had she managed to take out their guard without drawing blood? Majorelle closed her eyes and sighed. She wished to have kept it from him until they both far, far away from harm's way, but it seemed Nezuel was too curious about it. She didn't want to show him but he had the right to know.

She stood still as she let the Devil Fruit work its magic as her body slowly transformed into liquid. She did it slowly because she didn't want to do it so quickly and possibly risk scaring Nezuel or something like that. Majorelle was still afraid that he would reject her. She would be able to live through it if it did happen, but she wished it wouldn't happen. She liked Nezuel, and it would really sadden her if he thought she was a freak. In seconds, she had transformed her entire body into a clear blue liquid form. Luckily for her, she could speak, even in that form.

**"So now you know the truth. I hope this doesn't freak you out or anything. I don't want to put you in harm's way. Do you understand?"**

She seemed reluctant to tell him the answer to his question. Had he asked too early? Would she rather the two of them be far away from any thugs before revealing her super-secret whatever it was? She seemed to give in but just stood there. At first he couldn't see what she was doing, by the look on her face...concentrating? Yet slowly he began to notice a change in her hair and body. Her blue hair was slowly turning into something different, looking like water; her body took on the same blue tint as her hair and eyes. Seconds later the realization sunk in, she had eaten a devil fruit; a _logia_ by the looks of it. It looked like water...but no, that shouldn't be possible the water would have drained her DF powers. But it was some sort of liquid. She must had turned into it and slipped under her cage door and then...drowned the guard, perhaps?

But why had she wanted to keep it a secret? If she didn't care about people knowing about her Devil Fruit she wouldn't use it in combat long ago and be less reluctant to tell him now. Was she like him perhaps? Not wanting to reveal his powers in fear that it would attract unwanted attention? In his case unwarranted promotion and her case the fighting of stronger pirates or her current target fleeing at the sound of her name? Whatever the reason for keeping her powers a secret, he could relate.

He figured that she would think that she was a freak, perhaps it had happened before...a conditioned fear. He realized just how big a leap of faith she was taking in showing him her powers; he would have to eventually return the favor. But first, just like before he would have to calm her down. He walked up to her, "Freak me out?" he asked putting his right hand on her now blue shoulder. It slipped right through her and he ended up with whatever she was made of on his hand. He looked at it a little embarrassed before trying to dry it, he then continued. "A Devil Fruit is a rare and wondrous thing. It changes what you are capable of. But I'll tell you what a Devil Fruit does not do, it doesn't make you a freak, it doesn't change who you are or what you've done. I don't care if you've eaten a Devil Fruit, even a rare one like a logia, to me you are still Majorelle Blue."

Majorelle did not have the Devil Fruit for very long. She has had the fruit for only a few months, and even then, she only used it in secret. Only the people who were closest to either only knew about it or had seen her use it in practice. Majorelle had only used it in public once or twice before, and even then, it wasn't public enough that rumors would go flying about her Devil Fruit powers.

Who would have thought that throughout that time, Majorelle had grown fear and paranoia from other people knowing about her Devil Fruit? The pirates that had destroyed her home; there was one in particular that had a Devil Fruit. She had grown to detest Devil Fruits and yet she ended up obtaining one without actually realizing it. It had been a strange journey where she had come across some treasure in a place where there seemed to be no escape. When one becomes hungry enough, one is willing to eat the strangest things they come across. A fruit was hardly strange to Majorelle, but a Fruit in a pile of treasure? That should have sounded the alarm in her brain...

Nezuel attempted to place a hand on her shoulder as he comforted her, but it went right through, and it caused Majorelle to smile. He said the kindest words to her that it would have brought her to tears had she not been in her liquid state. He was going out of his way to say those things and cheer her up in the middle of a crisis, and he had only just met him several hours before. And yet it seemed like they had grown so close during their short time together. It was such a nice thing to experience.

She was about to express her feelings to him when suddenly, bullets were flying, some going through Majorelle's body. She turned around and saw a large group of thugs shooting at them.


	7. Chapter 7: Bringing Down The House

Is seemed like Majorelle was about to respond when a hole suddenly appeared in her liquid like state. Several more joined it and it took him a second to realize that they were objects flying through her logia state. He saw her turn, which was rather odd she being liquid and all it looked more like a wave, and saw that several thugs not trying to stop the fire had found them and were now shooting at Majorelle, probably thinking her a monster of some kind. He tried to grab Majorelle's hand once again to pull her out of the way but forgot that 1: she was made of liquid and his hand would just pass through and 2: the bullets would also phase through. Instead he simply yelled: "Run!" and did just that.

He didn't look over his shoulder but he assumed that Majorelle was running, or perhaps sliding, behind him. As they ran through the many corridors trying to lose the thugs that were chasing them he began to feel odd. Looking around he couldn't help but feel like they had been in that corridor before, held loosely together by string, wood, and glue. Then it came to him, it was the corridor to the middle of the base. Before when they had entered that place he had not been prepared for what was there or for using his powers in fear of Majorelle. But now he had no such ideas. He would have to show her with her own two eyes like she had done to him. He began to run down the corridor towards the middle of the base.

When he finally reached the door he opened it immediately and after both of them had stepped through locked it behind him with the keys he had gotten in the prison, turns out they weren't just for that section of the base. The first thing he did was check to see if there was anyone lurking nearby, they didn't want more guns pressed suddenly against their heads. When he was sure it was clear he turned his attention on what was happening further way. The base was in a state of panic. People were running around barking orders at people and generally causing chaos. One by one however they all stopped what they were doing as they saw the two of them.

Above them he saw the same person as before, the person who had Majorelle's money. He turned towards her tacking off his marine coat in the process. "Hold this please," he said handing it to her. "When this place come crashing down you need to transform into whatever your element is and get out of the rubble." He smiled at her before heading forwards a few feet. When he turned to look back at her there was no longer any compassion on his face and, if one looked close enough, you could see a golden dot on his forehead. "Just watch."

He looked up at the person who had stolen Majorelle's money. He would have to pay, but first he deserved a second chance. "I am marine Lieutenant Junior Grade Tasuma D. Nezuel. Turn yourselves in and you will all live. Resist and I will use force." The man, with no words, no emotions, simply grabbed a nearby gun and fired it at him. The bullet hit the ground next to him several feet away. He looked down at the bullet and then back up at the man.

"Then the sentence is death," he whispered to himself.

From his forehead a golden light began to emanate and spread, bouncing off of the metal walls of the base. His black clothing also began to glow with the same golden color, joining the already gold trimmings of his outfit. His skin took the same glow and his face became gaunt and darker, his hair turning golden and more solid looking. He began to grow taller and larger; His legs less so and his arm to gigantic proportions. His stomach also expanded bulging outwards into a gut while his vest and shit seemed to disappear completely, leaving him shirtless... When he had finished there stood a 100ft golden giant. He raised his right hand, its glow brightening, and rammed it forwards towards the base's wall.

Doing as Nezuel commanded, Majorelle shot forward in her liquid form, sliding through the organized junk corridor as she moved like a single swell in the ocean. She felt a bit odd moving around in that form, not actually using her legs to run. Had she been using her Devil Fruit powers more, it might have felt more naturally, but she needed a lot more practice for something like that to happen. She was also falling behind because she could not move nearly as fast as Nezuel on his long legs. Additionally, her gun blade was floating within her body and she wasn't used to attacking with her Devil Fruit powers while running away. That is why Majorelle transformed back into her regular human form, catching the gun blade midair as it 'splashed' out of her body.

**"Alright."**

Now she was in more danger of being shot and hit, and so she decided to return fire. Majorelle turned her upper body as she pulled her arm back to point the gun blade at the enemy. She fired a few shots, managing to hit and stun several of them. **"**_**Take that."**_ They began to fall a little ways behind them and she turned forward again and ran faster than before, managing to catch up to Nezuel. She hadn't noticed where they were going because of the commotion and saw that they were now arriving to a place that they were before in the middle of the base. Nobody paid them any attention at first with all of the yelling and moving about. Majorelle thought that they would have been able to get away from all of this without troubling themselves over her stolen money. But it seemed Nezuel had a different plan in mind.

He took off his coat and gave it to her... and then told her to **just watch.****"Wha-"** _Just watch?_ Crashing down? What was he thinking? What was he going to do? He couldn't possibly take them all on his own! How was he going to bring the whole place down? Was he going mad? He couldn't possibly have been driven mad. As long as she had known him, he had proven himself to be intelligent and sound of mind. Majorelle was nervous and didn't know what was going to happen next. She still might be able to slip away, but she couldn't just leave Nezuel to die... what kind of a friend would she be if she just ran away? No, she thought, I will stay with him.

Majorelle held his coat in between her arms and listened to him. At first, it seemed that he was going to be using his power and influence as a Marine to get them to let them go, but their supposed leader returned fire... and Nezuel whispered of death. But she remained patient. Suddenly, something amazing happened. He began to glow a brilliant golden color that almost forced her to shield her eyes. Instead, she couldn't stop staring in awe as he transformed into a giant golden statue of some sort. He had told her to watch, and watch she did. He punched the walls of the base and the whole thing came crashing down. The thugs were screaming and scrambling about, trying to get out, but Majorelle just stood there. Then she snapped out of it as she remembered she would be crushed along with the thugs if she didn't transform. Majorelle transformed just as rubble and junk came crashing down on her in her liquid form, she went through the cracks of the fallen base until she reached the surface.

She couldn't believe that he was just like her...

His hand connected with the base's wall and instantly tore right through it. Even though the base was made of tightly compacted scrap metal in his current state, when he was fully transformed, he could dent solid metal. Scrap metal would be not obstacle for him. The main power of his Devil Fruit, like all _zoans_, was the augmentation of his natural abilities. In his fully transformed, giant form, his strength and durability increased tremendously while his speed took a bit of a loss as well. One interesting thing however was that he had found that the increase in his abilities was dependent on his own natural abilities. If he got stronger and was naturally able to dent metal then he would probably be able to punch right through it in his full form.

But back to the matter at hand- When his hand reached right through, he grabbed the other side of the scrap metal base and pulled on it. One half of the base, already weakened by the punch, fell towards him and collapsed, burying the people who had been on that side of the base. He shook off some of the debris and looked at the destruction he had caused. He looked and saw more of grey terminal through the downed base wall. It was a lucky guess as he didn't want anyone in Edge Town or Grey Terminal to see his fruit...it also meant he had to kill all the witnesses, besides Majorelle of course. Suddenly he felt a small sting on the back of his head, like a small bee had just stung him. He turned and went face to face (Quite literally at the height he was at) with the leader of the thugs.

After seeing him single handedly take out half of the base he had worked so hard to build he was mad to say the least. He had several guns right next to him and was firing them all in rapid succession. Nezuel held up his hand in front of his face and waited for the barrage of bullets to stop. When he no longer felt the stings on his hand he dared to look. The man was on his knees asking for forgiveness from him. Usually he would be inclined to give it. But he had made him mad, made him use his full power and had rejected his offer at peace. Most of all he had hurt Majorelle, like he had whispered to himself the sentence was death. He raised his hands and punched both sides of the last half of the base. The wall began to fall backwards and the men on it as well. He reached over to the leader and grabbed him in his hands before he could be buried beneath the rubble.

The man seemed thankful for being saved. Without a hint of emotion on his face he moved his other hand towards the man, "The money," he said. The man almost tripped over himself in taking out the bag and throwing it into his hand. With that small bit of business taken care of he no longer needed the man. So he threw him into the ocean, let him be food for the fishes. He climbed on top of the rubble and undid his transformation. He didn't look much different than usual, just had small dots were the bullets had hit him and his shirt and vest were now around his waist, he would put them on later. Then he just sat down and waited for Majorelle to pop back up in her liquid form. How would she react to him? He had comforted her but would she do the same? Would she be happy to have found someone who understood her reluctance? Or would she shun away from him? Her power could defend and his could only destroy. Sighing he felt the sun start to rise behind his head. Hopefully anyone who saw his glow would assume it was just the sun.


	8. Chapter 8: Friends

It was a little strange being buried the way she was buried. She had the sensation of vertigo and almost didn't know which way was down or which way was up! At first, she only felt panic, but she had to remind herself to keep calm, relax, and think for a moment. Some seconds later, she emerged from the scrap metal, junk, and rubble that made up the destroyed base. It had completely caved in. Most of the people who had been down there would die. The ones who were down underground where the prison was, if they didn't burn, they would suffocate or starve or one of those things. Either way, their fate would not be a good one. If there did manage to be survivors, they might have some luck by trying to dig their way out of there. Who knows? They might even succeed.

Majorelle did feel pity towards them. Nezuel did not seem to be the type of guy to show mercy, and it clearly showed from his latest actions. Majorelle was the opposite. She was willing to show mercy to those who were truly sorry. Her heart had room for such things and she didn't mind. Some people _did_deserve mercy or a second chance. There was always the risk of someone continuing to do bad or worse if they were to be let go, but then again, so could it be said of the other way around. Some left these kinds of situations and turned their lives around. However, this was the Grey Terminal. Nothing ever good happened around here. Life was harsh, bitter, cruel, and there was much suffering. One had to do what one could to survive. There were so many things that came into play. Life just wasn't very fair.

As soon as Majorelle arrived in the surface, she transformed back to her full-fledged human self. She felt a little dizzy but her balance came back quickly after taking a few long, deep breaths. She saw Nezuel and was surprised to see him back to normal. For some reason she almost expected to see that Golden giant again. She was glad that wasn't the case. Majorelle had not only been in awe back in the base. Even know she still felt that sense of relief wash over her. She had been afraid of Nezuel rejecting her because of her Devil Fruit and it turned out that he was a Devil Fruit user, as well. It was an unexpected event, yet she did not complain. It was nice.

The blue haired girl was suddenly left speechless, and in the end, all she could do was smile. Majorelle smiled at him with all of those emotions she was feeling, all of which were positive. Suddenly, she was laughing. Laughing and crying all at the same time. It's like she was being overcome by a combination of emotions- stress, tiredness, joy, disbelief, long-suffering, acceptance- all of the things that had taken place that day, and her body didn't know how to react. She completely forgot that she was still holding on to his coat.

He saw Majorelle pop up out of the rubble long before she saw him. He noticed that she looked tired like the logia transformation had taken a lot out of her. Perhaps it was the curse of trying to keep your Devil Fruit powers a secret. He himself had not gotten much time to train his powers in secret, perhaps she was in the same position, inexperienced. She seemed surprised to see him. He wondered why that would be; did she think he would still be rampaging around in his giant form? But her surprise soon turned into a smile and he knew then and there that, if asked her to, she would comfort him like she had her. He watched as she got closer to him on the rubble pile and sat down.

Then she made a strange noise that he hadn't expected...was she laughing? He turned to see a rather odd, yet not unwelcome sight. She was smiling, laughing and crying all at once. He hung his head in defeat and then joined her, minus the tears. As the two of them sat there laughing their heads off with the sun rising in front of them he supposed that to anyone watching they were a rather odd sight. But let them stare, it was a new day. It was a better day, two people had somehow managed to live through an enormous ordeal and get through alive. Not to mention the both of them had also managed to find a new friend, along with a couple secrets about the other.

As the laughter finally died down he looked at Majorelle in the new sunlight. The question he wanted to ask couldn't wait; he had to make sure she understood. "Majorelle," he said, his eye were serious but his voice soft. "Could you do me the favor of not telling anyone what you saw in...There?" he asked pointing around at all the rubble. She didn't seem like the kind of girl to go around and tell everyone, I mean she even wanted to hide her own Devil Fruit, but he had to be sure.

Nezuel had joined her in laughing and when they were done, she couldn't have felt better. She sat down next to him and watched the sunrise for a moment before Nezuel softly said her name. She looked at him smiling, but frowned once she saw how serious he looked. He asked her then to keep what she had seen with her very eyes about his Devil Fruit powers a secret. He didn't exactly say it, but the way that his eyes looked, and having pointed down into the rubble, she understood perfectly. Majorelle slowly smiled once more and nodded.

**"I promise to keep it a secret,"** she said. **"I won't ask you to do the same, though. I think I won't have a problem with using my Devil Fruit openly from now on."** Majorelle saw that she was still holding his coat and handed it over to him. **"Here is your coat back."**

That was when she thought about her money. Without her money, she would hardly be able to keep her ship since it was a rental. That was another problem. She had been raising money to buy herself her very own _ship_! Not only that, she wouldn't even have money to stay at an inn or even buy food. She would have to dive into a bounty immediately, and not one that was too far away, either. She'd have to start off easy, since she had nothing but the clothes on her back as well as her weapon. What a situation she had gotten herself into.

**"It's a shame we couldn't get my money back,"**she spoke grimly. **"All of that work and putting ourselves in danger was for nothing. I'm sorry for making you go through all of this trouble."**

He was glad to hear that she would be keeping his power a secret. Suddenly he felt relief, like a weight had been taken off of his shoulders. It never helped to have a secret you couldn't tell anyone locked up inside of you. It would build up and give you stress. It was good to have a confidant to be able to share with. He was surprised yet glad that Majorelle didn't ask him to keep her logia Devil Fruit a secret. Had she been changed by his kind word so much that she no longer feared rejection? He hadn't rejected her but that didn't mean others wouldn't. He supposed that when they day came she would have to face it straight on, possibly while remembering his words.

He grabbed hit coat from Majorelle and flung it over his shoulders like many marines did. He took the time that she was lost in thought and started to dress himself again. He pulled his vest and shirt up from their tied position on his waist and was soon covered again. Then he put his arms through the sleeves of his coat, he wasn't like most marines. He smiles at Majorelle's somewhat grim words. In reply he grabbed her hand and looked at her. "Whatever trouble it may have been it was worth it...Because I got to meet you." He turned her palm up and placed the money bag he had confiscated from the thug's leader in her hand. Then he let go of her hand and looked back at the sunset. "Don't worry about the World Government Agent; I can take care of paying for his uniform. As for the prison cell I'll tell him that the theft...fell while we were chasing him, it wouldn't be a complete lie..."

He let the explanation hang in the air before continuing, "Listen...I've had a good time with you and I've grown to like you. If you ever need help don't be afraid to give me a call, I should get a promotion soon and once I get to Commander we're allowed to roam the seas as much as we want." then he added in a completely different tone, "But so much for the heavy stuff. How about some drinks on me?! We need to celebrate a job well done. Besides, who's to say catching that theft didn't take a couple of days."

Nezuel dressed himself as she spoke. When she was finished, he gently took her hand and said that the trouble was worth it. The blue haired girl's cheeks flushed red, warmth going through her body as she was flattered by his words. From his gorgeous penetrating eyes, strong demeanor, adequately sharp nose, and a courageous bearing, he seemed almost like the hero in story books!

Nezuel then he placed her money in her hands. She gasped, her eyes going wide. It was her bag of money! She looked at him, and then looked at the bag once more. She couldn't believe it! Majorelle opened it up and briefly peered at the money inside. He spoke to her about the agent and how he would pretty much take care of everything. All the while, a large, white toothed smile was spread across her face. Her eyes gleamed with sincere joy and gratitude. Nezuel had done so much for her at the near cost of his life. He had stopped her from killing out of vengeance and hate. He got her money back somehow. Must have been while he was taking down the place and she was getting away. She _had_ to repay him somehow for everything!

Majorelle was thinking that she might take him out for a drink, when he suddenly suggested the same thing, taking the words right out of her head! She laughed heartily. A strange surge of courage overtook the lady's senses. She lifted her chin high and toughened her shoulders and stepped closer to him.

**"I've grown to like you too,"**she said. **"And I think I'll be taking you up on that offer,**_**marine Lieutenant Junior Grade Tasuma D. Nezuel**_**."**


End file.
